1. Field of the Invention
The present invention to relates footwear, such as a shoe, especially a boot, with a protective function against toxic chemical agents, especially chemical warfare agents, and Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) agents, and which is intended for military and general NBC protective use.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are a number of substances that are absorbed by the skin and exposure to which results in severe physical damage. Examples are mustard gas (usually contained in vessels marked with a yellow cross), which is a vesicant, and sarin, which is a nerve gas. Individuals who may come into contact with these toxic agents must wear suitable protective equipment or otherwise be protected against these toxic agents by suitable protective materials.
Suitable protective suits are available for protecting the body, especially the extremities and the trunk. To protect the head, especially the face, and the respiratory tract, gas masks (NBC protective masks), often together with hoods, are usually worn.
In addition, however, it is also important that the feet are adequately protected against these types of toxic agents. In particular, protective footwear of this type must be suitable for military or general NBC protective applications.
In the state of the art with respect to military and general NBC protective applications, overshoes with NBC protection are presently often used for this purpose. They are worn over regular footwear. This has the crucial disadvantage that the footwear is burdened with additional weight and, in addition, that wearing comfort is drastically reduced due to the NBC overshoe. Finally, with the use of NBC overshoes, it is not possible to achieve an efficient seal with an NBC protective suit, so that toxic chemical agents, e.g., chemical warfare agents, can penetrate between the NBC overshoe and the NBC protective suit and act on the individual wearing the NBC protective suit.
The alternative use of NBC protective socks, which, for example, can be worn in conventional military boots, is similarly inefficient, since, for one thing, they cannot prevent toxic agents from penetrating the footwear itself and, for another, the wearing comfort is not very great. Here again, there is the problem of a deficient seal between the socks and the protective suit.